[[quoteright:225:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/13769.jpg]]->'''Thorkell:''' Good friar, what say you? Who is greater, your Jesus or our Aesir?->'''Willibald:''' ...whichever created liquor.

->'''Thors:''' A true warrior needs no blade.

A manga series created by Makoto Yukimura, author of ''{{Planetes}}''. ''Vinland Saga'' was started in 2005. It chronicles the adventures of a band of Vikings.

Taking place in the 11th century the story chronicles the life of Thorfinn Thorsson, an Icelandic boy who becomes a warrior to avenge his father's death. He does so by dogging the heels of his father's killer, Askeladd, by fighting in Askeladd's band. But it's not some story of deception. Askeladd is aware that Thorfinn wants to kill him, and he [[ManipulativeBastard gleefully uses this information to manipulate the boy]] into doing his bidding in exchange for a one-on-one duel.

As we follow Thorfinn around, the story expands to the Danes' pacification of England of the early eleventh century and the rise to power of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canute_the_Great King Canute]].

Ultimately the series has a lot of brutal (but fun!) battles. It's also fairly accurate about viking culture, so it teaches you stuff while you read (yes, it's that awesome). It's also got some pretty snappy dialogue and humorous little exchanges between characters both major and minor.

No relation to the classical viking sagas known as the [[Literature/TheIcelandicSagas Vinland Sagas]], about the explorations of Erik the Red and his son Leif. Though they are alluded to through the stories of Leif Erikson, alias, Leif the Lucky.

[[http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2013-02-06/kodansha-usa-adds-unreleased-yukimura-story-to-vinland-saga The series is licensed in English by Kodansha Comics USA]], with the entire prologue released so far and the second arc being under release as of 2014. However, the release [[http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2014-12-22/kodansha-temporarily-suspends-vinland-saga-manga-in-us/.82480 has been put on indefinite hiatus]] after the fifth collected volume (covering the first ten regular volumes).

----!!This manga provides examples of:

* ARealManIsAKiller: Ketil's housecarls eventually convince Orman into believing in this trope. It's deconstructed: Not only is his attempts to cut down slaves 'to become a man' a miserable failure he can't go through on, [[spoiler:but when he actually ends up killing a man in a fixed duel he becomes horrified.]]* AcceptableBreaksFromReality:** Orman has the behavior of JapaneseDelinquents (tough-guy act, ridiculous hair which he spends a lot of time on...) in medieval Europe. Chalk it up to RuleOfFunny.** On that note, most characters are fairly Japanese in spirit. It's easy to equate Japanese samurai and Danish vikings, as they are both warrior cultures, and there certainly are similarities, but there ''are'' differences between them.** [[RuleOfCool Thorkell's physical feats]].* ActionGirl: In a Canon omake, Ylfa fantasizes about becoming a BadAss pirate queen. The fact that she eagerly joins in on the occasional whale hunt proves she's no tender maid.* [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation Alternate Realm Interpretation:]][[invoked]] [[spoiler: In Thorfinn's nightmare, Valhalla is depicted as an never-ending battleground for the "glorious dead." The aforementioned dead people are rotting away and there is nothing glorious about it at all.]]** [[spoiler: A vision of Askeladd proceeds to appear and tell Thorfinn that it's not actually Valhalla.]]* AntiHero: The only hero in the entire story is Thors, and he's been dead for over a decade when the plot starts.* AnnoyingArrows: Averted, arrows are often used to great effect.* AnyoneCanDie: [[spoiler:Only Thorfinn is left in the story out of all the characters from the opening chapters. It's safe to say that any character that doesn't have a historical basis, and even some that do, will meet a grisly end.]]** And at the end of the [[spoiler:Prolouge]] Act, [[spoiler:Askeladd and almost all of his army are dead]].* ArtEvolution: When it changed from being a weekly Shonen to a monthly Seinen, the art became more detailed and a few of the character designs were tweaked as well, most notably with Bjorn.* ArmorIsUseless: Averted altogether for the most part, with only two minor exceptions.* ArmorPiercingQuestion: The priest plays with this. Many vikings are intimidate by his words, but he never got his point through. The main reason is that he doesn't know the answer.--->'''Viking''': "I would defend my brother to death!"--->'''Priest''': "Would you do that for anyone?"--->'''Viking''': "I don't know."--->'''Priest''': "Neither do I."* ArmorPiercingSlap: [[spoiler: After Ragnar's death,]] Canute flips out, not wanting to leave [[spoiler: without his body]]. Askeladd gives him one of these and he shuts right up.** [[spoiler: Thorfinn had to do this, more like a Wake Up Punch, on Einar to stop him from taking revenge after Arneis death.]]* AwesomeMomentOfCrowning: [[spoiler:After Askeladd kills King Sweyn, Canute kills Askeladd, as part of a plan to transfer control of the Danish army and kingdom to Canute. Thorfinn, being hugely upset to learn that he has been robbed of the chance to avenge himself on Askeladd, launches an attack on Canute but only manages to slash Canute's face. Canute, declaring that someone must take control of the situation, picks up the fallen crown from the floor and crowns himself, all the while bleeding profusely from his face. Friggin' awesome.]] Anyone else see the pun?* AxeCrazy: Literally and in the trope sense with Thorkell, who dual-wields dane axes. It helps that he's seven feet tall.* BadAss: The entire cast. They're Vikings, how can they possibly be anything else?** It's also brutally decontructed, right from Thors' famous line: "A true warrior needs no blade". The Viking culture, built on a huge desire to be badasses, call for them to make the world a living hell. Askeladd fully knows that and flat out admits he hates them for this reason. [[spoiler: Same for Canute who set his mind to create a paradise where the Vikings wouldn't commit sins]]. [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans His methods,]] [[HeWhoFightsMonsters however...]]* BadassArmy: The Jomsvikings. While the other vikings are mostly pirates, these men are an elite mercenary army. They even go for TheFaceless look, alsways wearing their eye covering helmets and their cloaks covering their lower faces.* BadassBoast: When facing off against Thorkell the second time, Thorkell tells Thorfinn that if he wants to hear more about his father, he'll have to keep fighting him. Thorfinn responds by telling Thorkell he's okay with that, but Thorkell might not be in any condition to speak after they duel. strangely enough, this isn't an actual boast on Thorfinn's part- it's a statement of fact.** In the same battle Askeladd mutters "To think the day would come that I, Askeladd, would be unable to escape from just 50 men," while standing on a mound of corpses.* BastardBastard: Askeladd* BattleButler: Bjorn serves as Askeladd's right hand man.* BeardOfSorrow: Thorfinn [[spoiler: after the death of Askelladd, his motivation in life has been taken from him, his usual cold composure and social detachment becomes even more pronounced, though he loses his battle ferocity and becomes (more) silent, docile, and generally bored of life, and he eventually becomes a slave. And the worst part is that he is not old enough to grow a full beard.]])** The priest who accompanies him also wears a really bushy beard, as a result of his revelations about religion concluding that [[spoiler:the world is Hell and that God is not going to make things better, ever]]. [[spoiler:Once he finds someone willing to accept his views and has the power to do something about it, he takes a thorough shave. This character is even YOUNGER than Thorfinn and should not normally grow a beard.]]* BerserkButton: Do not threaten Wales while in the same room as Askeladd. Or mention [[EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas his mother]].* TheBlacksmith: Thors becomes an apprentice blacksmith in Iceland. He's not very good at it.* BlondGuysAreEvil: This being Scandinavia, a number of characters are blonde. This being a GreyAndGreyMorality kind of manga, even the nicer ones are evil in a general sense.* BloodKnight: Thorkell fits this trope to a t, going so far as to betray his countrymen for the sake of a decent battle. He even looks like a danish [[Manga/{{Bleach}} Kenpachi]].** Thorgill is a bit less insane and more serious, but he sure loves to fight. And when he does, [[LudicrousGibs it's just as messy]].* BoisterousBruiser: Thorkell, and how. Just make sure you don't disappoint him.* BoisterousWeakling: Orman, through and through. Though ironically he is much less boisterous since [[spoiler: he actually killed a man for the first time.]]* BoldExplorer: Leif the Lucky is the man who found Vinland, though he's now old and retired. * BreakTheCutie: In Thorfinn's case, it'd be more accurate to call it curb stomp the cutie.** Anne, in record time too! And, to an extent, [[spoiler: Canute.]]* ButForMeItWasTuesday: Askeladd claims that the slaying of Thors doesn't particularly stick out in his mind, since he has killed so many other people.* CallBack: In the sixth chapter, Thors tells his young and eager-to-go-to-war son, who has told him that he wants a weapon to kill "enemies", that he has no enemies. [[spoiler:Thorfinn repeats the line verbatim some fifteen years and many chapters later, [[MartialPacifist having come to the same conclusions as his father in the meantime]].]]* CelibateHero: Thorfinn is far too busy being moody to sleep with anyone. Askeladd as well, seeing how he never seems to care much or find time for sleeping with anyone. Not to mention how disgusted and hateful he was towards the vikings from his past, whom he considered "filthy" and "moronic," who care about "base desires" (read: sex). His [[spoiler: final actions might qualify him]].* CharacterDevelopment: Multiple examples. Thorfinn spends most of the second arc undergoing major character development from the sullen stoic he was in the first arc to something closer to his father, while the first arc is mostly devoted to how Canute turns into a proper king [[spoiler:and subsequently into an even better one at the end of the second arc.]]* CheerfulChild: Thorfinn used to be a sweet kid, though even then he showed aspects of his eventual ScreamingWarrior nature.* CleanCut: Askeladd sends his men into shock when he slices a guy (helmet and all) in two. Not with [[AbsurdlySharpBlade an absurdly sharp blade]] either.* CooldownHug [[spoiler:Canute does one to Bjorn in chapter 39. Naturally becomes an InterruptedCooldownHug.]]* CoolOldGuy: Lief the Lucky, Askeladd and Thorkell are very cool old guys.* CoolSword: Snake atypically wields an imported scimitar.* ContemplateOurNavels: Thorfinn in chapter 83* CoversAlwaysLie: One cover for an issue of ''Afternoon'', the magazine which the series runs in, features Thorfinn sporting an armor strikingly similar to the one his father wore back in the days, still Thorfinn never wore such armor in the series till then and not once in the whole "prologue" arc; given his later development it could be seen as a foreshadowing, but no, the Thorfinn on that cover is the earlier revenge bent version of him, and his development would strike dozens of chapters later; the safest bet is it that cover was just for promotional purposes.* DeadlyDecadentCourt: Sweyn Forkbeard's court.* DeadpanSnarker: Askeladd, and Thorfinn to a degree.* DeathIsTheOnlyOption: Askeladd is presented with 2 choices, both of which he hates, so he TakesAThirdOption that requires his death.* DefeatMeansFriendship: Once Thorfinn has brought Thorkell down (removing his eye in the process), Canute (who Askeladd uses to further his plans) comes in and rallies everybody to his cause.* DeliberateValuesDissonance:** The topic of slavery is brought up several times, and Ylfa complains about wanting some as if she's just asking for new clothes. Thors might have had different views on human ownership, but in the Viking Age, slavery was common.** In chapter 20, Thorfinn is interrupted from his sleep in a barn when some of his comrades bring in an English woman, ready to rape her. We'd expect Thorfinn to do something... but he doesn't. But hey, it's a story about [[RapePillageAndBurn Vikings]].*** However, he does walk out, seemingly with a look of jaded disgust on his face.* TheDeterminator: Thorkell and Thorfinn. Thorfinn in his pursuit of revenge. Thorkell, for fun.* DoggedNiceGuy: Ari towards Ylfa. [[spoiler:One TimeSkip later, success!]]** Einar seems to have set his eyes in the wrong woman too.* DrunkWithPower: Sveyn Forkbeard gives a long monologue on the nature of power and TheChainsOfCommanding that comes with ruling, treating the crown he wears as a curse that makes the wearer want to get more power. [[spoiler:After becoming king, Canute becomes just as bad as his father.]]* DudeLooksLikeALady: When Canute first appears he's mistaken for a woman by the main characters. Thorfinn gives him the derogatory nickname of 'Princess'. Adds a whole new layer of (unintentional) subtext between them, though it's meant as an insult.** A very severe one, point of fact, to the degree that they'd be fighting words to almost anyone else -- Warrior cultures take manliness very seriously.** [[spoiler: An actual lady is used as a body double, and because of her, people suspect that Prince Canute really is a lady.]]* EliteMooks: The Jomsvikings. So far, only named characters have survived battling them, let alone killing one.* EpiphanyTherapy: [[spoiler:Coinciding with his RageAgainstTheHeavens moment, when Canute listens to Willibard's explanation of love, he quickly gets what he is supposed to be [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans doing with his life]] and [[TookALevelInBadass starts ordering people around]].]]* EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas: [[spoiler:Askeladd loves his mother so much that when he swears on her name, he means it. When he swears on his father's name, however...]]* EvilPlan: [[spoiler:Askeladd's plot to take control of the throne.]]* EvilUncle: Given the BlackAndGrayMorality of the series, it's more [[BloodKnight Kill-Happy]] great-uncle ([[spoiler: Thorkell to Thorfinn]]).* ExpositoryHairstyleChange: In his first appearance, Thorfinn has unkempt hair befitting his anger and surliness. In a flashback, a younger, innocent and happy Thorfinn has neat and shorter hair. With the TimeSkip into the Farmland Saga, his hair gets longer and stays unkempt until he makes a friend, after which he ties it up. When Thorfinn finally returns home after the Farmland Saga ends, Ylfa gives him a [[ImportantHaircut haircut]] and shave against his wishes. The last time his hair was that short was in the aforementioned flashback, and now he's finally taking steps to go to Vinland.** Also Canute. Originally a LongHairedPrettyboy, after the TimeSkip his hair is much shorter.* {{Expy}}: Several characters in the manga bear resemblances to ones from ''Manga/{{Berserk}}''. The fact that both series have very similar art styles further enhances this.** First off, Thorfinn is quite close personality-wise to Pre-Eclipse Guts[[spoiler:, though they quickly diverge post-timeskip.]]** Prince Canute cleaves very close to Griffith in [[VisionaryVillain character]], [[LongHairedPrettyBoy appearance]], and [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans ambition]]. This also makes him a CharClone.** Thorkell strongly resembles Nosferatu Zodd. Both are [[LightningBruiser massive men]] with a [[BloodKnight love of combat]] who consider the protagonist a WorthyOpponent and eventually start working for Canute[=/=]Griffith. The only thing differentiating the two is that Thorkell is unable to turn into [[OneWingedAngel a massive, Minotaur-like monster at will]].* EyeScream: Frequently. At least two major characters have had eyes removed in battle and both survived without bleeding out.* FanDisservice: The few instances of female nudity are always in unsavory situations like [[SexSlave sex slaves]] or exposed dying women.* TheFarmerAndTheViper: When Thorfinn gets injured during a mission in England, he gets nursed back to health by an English woman and her daughter. The mother was particularly set on taking care of Thorsfinn because he reminded her of her deceased son, even though they knew that he was a viking. Later, Thorfinn sends a signal to Askeladd and the other vikings [[RapePillageAndBurn to raze the place.]] However, Thorfinn did tell the woman to get away, but the damage had already been dealt to her. One of the few times that we see a glimpse of remorse from Thorfinn.* {{Fingore}}: Thorfinn cuts off two of Throkell's fingers, Askeladd clips off fingers of an English officer to make him talk and whenever there's a battle, there are severed hands and fingers flying in the background.* FlashStep: Thorfinn's preferred method of short-range transportation.* ForegoneConclusion: History teaches us that Canute will end up as king -- but then again the story up to that point was apparently only the ''prologue''.** Also vikings did not live for long on Vinland since a conflict with the locals drove them out. Meaning that even there Thorfinn will only find conflict.* {{Foreshadowing}}:** Askeladd remarks early on that a man with a gut wound won't last the night [[spoiler: later this fate befalls Bjorn.]]** Early in his life, Thorfinn witnesses his father telling a dying slave about the story of Vinland. When he later meets a dying slave himself, he asks himself if there are any words he can tell her...* ForTheEvulz: Though in the context of the series, he's not actually all that evil (in fact coming off as a lot less horrible than guys like Askeladd), there's no denying that all Thorkell wants to do is kill people because it's fun. By most other series' standards that behavior would be considered AlwaysChaoticEvil.* FunnyBackgroundEvent: In a tavern where Thorkell and one of his men are discussing what to do next, his vikings are holding a BarBrawl and FoodFight, with scenes like a naked man dancing on a table and "Hey! Whose ear is this?"* FrameUp: [[spoiler: Canute has this done to Ketil and his son, to take over his farm, who is one of the most prosperous in the region.]]* GallowsHumor: Lots and lots of it.* GenerationXerox: [[spoiler:Canute]] ends up practically becoming his father, [[spoiler:which his hallucinations/father's ghost ends up lampshading]]. It's foreshadowed and implied that Thorfinn may end up like his own father as well.* GenreDeconstruction: To anyone who's actually read them, it's easy to see how ''Vinland Saga'' series deconstructs the classical [[Literature/TheIcelandicSagas Icelandic Sagas]] by looking at the values of the time through a modern lens. Things that would be described as laudable or commonplace in the sagas are here seen as moral evils, pacifism, humility, humanism and the ability to break a CycleOfRevenge are decried by the setting's society even though it's shown as the "right" thing to do, people aren't always [[GenerationXerox fated to follow in their parents' footsteps]] and that's a good thing, and people who act like the stereotypical saga hero are usually seen as villainous or highly destructive. Though given the [[KillEmAll fate of your average saga hero]], ''Vinland Saga'' isn't threading new ground on the latter part.* GenreShift: The series had FamilyUnfriendlyViolence since chapter one to obviously be taken as part of the seinen demographic, oddly enough it started its serialization on ''Weekly Shonen Magazine'' (yeah, right along with a friendly series such as ''Manga/FairyTail''), then it moved to ''Morning Two'' an actual seinen magazine but it wasn't a magazine popular enough to house Vinland Saga's impending success, the series finally found its place in ''Afternoon'' a popular seinen magazine which housed/houses [[{{Blame}} many]] [[{{Genshiken}} popular]] [[Manga/AhMyGoddess works]] and coincidentally is also serializing another historical epic, ''Manga/{{Historie}}''** The current arc, which has earned itself the title of "Best Farming Manga" or "Farmland Saga" among fans.*** The irony is that vinland means farmland so the fan nickname is a proper translation of the manga's title.* {{Gonk}}: The Frankish King at the start and the tracker Ears later on.** Averted, to an extent, with characters like Thorkell. Due to the mangaka's realistic style, characters don't have to be horribly ugly to be ugly.* GrassIsGreener: In Vinland, apparently.* GoodEyesEvilEyes: For some characters, their eye size change along with their character development: CheerfulChild Thorfinn had big innocent eyes, hellbent on revenge Thorfinn had narrow slits most of the time and [[spoiler:spiritually awakened slave Thornfinn has big ol' idealistic eyes again]].** [[spoiler: Canute's eyes however are getting narrower and narrower.]]* GoodOldWays: Legatus clings stubbornly to the Roman traditions, while Thorkell lives like it's still seven hundred AD.* GreyAndGrayMorality: This is the dark ages, the real dark ages. No one is a clear cut hero or villain.* HellIsWar: The place Thorfinn falls in in his nightmare and where he meets [[spoiler: Askeladd]] could best be described as "hell". It's a horrible battlefield which has "no winner, no loser, and no end". Warriors fight and slaughter each other, over, and over, and over again. Forever.* HeroAntagonist: In the Black and Black morality of Vinland Saga it's hard to call anyone a 'hero' but Thorkell's motivations are much more simply and his deeds much less villainous than many other characters. Really, [[SarcasmMode all he wants to do is]] [[AxeCrazy chop people]] [[TheBerserker into tiny pieces]]!** Honestly, Thorkell is much more a HeroicComedicSociopath than anything else.* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:Askeladd, in order to save both Canute and Wales.]]** Which is made all the more ironic that ''he'' of all people (who was previously considered a completely evil bastard) would end up becoming a martyr that saves an entire country.* HeroicBSOD: [[spoiler:Thorfinn, after Askeladd dies.]]* HeWhoFightsMonsters: When he first begins working for Askelaad, Thorfinn tries to warn a family to flee before the vikings come for them. By the time of the main story, he doesn't even raise an eyebrow when Askelaad's crew slaughters an entire village.* HiddenDisdainReveal: Askeladd's men turn against him to save their own hides against an army they could never defeat. Askeladd returns them this message: -->'''Askeladd:''' ''"You all and I have been together for a long time, up until this day. We laughed together, drank together, found our way out of many hellholes together. And I never told any of you about this, but for the last ten years we've been together [[PreAssKickingOneLiner I hated every single last one of you]]."''* HistoricalFiction: The story of Canute follows quite closely the life of the actual historic king, but takes very great liberties with the details. However, many of the battles actually did take place. There's also the incident where he told the waves to cease, to prove that he was ''not'' God.** Vinland Saga is a rare case of fiction that differentiates between Vikings (namely the warriors/pirates who set out for adventure and plunder) and the lands Vikings come from (the Scandinavian nations such as Denmark). Usually the word Viking is used as a blanket term for all these people.* HistoricalDomainCharacter: Obviously Canute, his elder brother Harald, and their father Sweyn. Surprisingly, there was also an actual ''Thorkell the Tall'' who fought for the English but joined Canute after the death of his brother Henning, who had been a childhood mentor to Canute, just like Ragnar in the manga. Though their actual existance is disputed, Thorkell was reportedly a commander of the Jomsvikings.* HowDareYouDieOnMe [[spoiler: Thorfinn shouts this at Askeladd as he is dying.]]* IDidWhatIHadToDo: [[spoiler: Canute as of late.]]* ImportantHaircut: Thorfinn gets one from Ylfa, his first in years, after he's manumitted.** Gudrid cuts off her long braid to show that she wants to sail with the men. With her wedding imminent, even.* ImprobableWeaponUser: Thorkell defends London armed with [[MemeticMutation LOGS!]] Note that he's defending London against ships, against which logs are rather effective (moreso than arrows, anyhow).* IndyPloy: During Thorkell's pursuit, the protagonists improvise quite a bit. (With varying degrees of success.)* InfantImmortality: Heheh, what a funny concept!* {{Irony}}:** [[spoiler: A slave girl once told Thorfinn he reminded her of herself. He replied that he wouldn't know how a slave feels and that if he was one, he would kill his master and escape. By chapter 54, Thorfinn has become a dutiful slave to his master.]]** The one English woman laments her greed and sinfulness in stealing a ring and hiding it, taking it out every so often to marvel at its beauty. [[spoiler: It's only because she not only stole it, but spent time fussing with it that she survived the pillaging of her village and escaped to inform the surrounding towns of the devastation, which is the only reason the pillaging vikings were, in a sense, karmically punished.]]* FallenPrincess: Askeladd's mother fell hard.* {{Jerkass}}: Thorfinn, whose single-minded obsession with revenge has made him rude, withdrawn and basically without a moral compass. [[spoiler:When he is finally reunited with Leif, Thorfinn refuses to listen to him about abandoning his revenge and going back home to Iceland.]]* JustAKid: An English woman's reaction to finding Thorfinn on her front step.** TheFarmerAndTheViper: ...''Big'' mistake.* KickTheDog: Boy do they ever, and they're the good guys!* KingIncognito: [[spoiler:Askeladd is the illegitimate offspring of a danish lord and also the last living descendant of KingArthur of all people.]]* KneelBeforeZod: Askeladd to Floki.--> '''Askeladd:''' Kneel before me! Let me give you the honor of kissing my feet and then you can die!* KnightTemplar: Halfdan will not tolerate people flouting the laws of Iceland.* KnuckleCracking: Askeladd does this before his first duel with Thorfinn.* LighterAndSofter: Ironically, [[spoiler:after Thorfinn gets sent into slavery]], the story becomes a fair amount lighter than it was before, with Thorfinn becoming a pacifist with no desire for revenge. It also begins to have more comedic moments and we seen Thorfinn smile a lot more, especially after he returns home. There is still dark elements to the story however.* LikeFatherLikeSon: [[spoiler: Canute and Sven.]]** [[spoiler: By now Thors and Thorfinn too.]]* LittleStowaway: Thorfinn.* LonelyAtTheTop: Enforced with King Canute. [[spoiler: Due to DrunkWithPower]].* LudicrousGibs: Whenever Askeladd, [[BloodKnight Thorkell or Thorgill]] fight. Slicing and dicing human bodies effortlessly as they do kind of breaks the realistic aspect of the manga…* MadeASlave* MadeOfPlasticine: People are dismembered left and right and blows take off heads cleanly. Thorkell reduces a man he's fighting into little more than bloodied stumps and pieces at one point. * MajorInjuryUnderreaction: Thorkell gets a few of his [[{{Fingore}} fingers sliced off]] by Thorsfinn - right after he had stabbed him through the same hand - and all he does is look at it, and then ask Thorsfinn for his name.* ManipulativeBastard: Askeladd once more.* MaritalRapeLicense: Well, Askeladd's father, Olaf, didn't exactly marry his mother, Lady Lydia, but he did kidnap her and make her his "[[SexSlave mistress.]]"* MauveShirt: Ears** Atli and his brother count too.* MeaningfulName: Askeladd. Named after a Scandinavian folk hero known for his wiliness and tendency to go from rags to riches.** Now go read VinlandSaga! [[RatedMForManly It will put hair on your chest]]!* MyNameIsInigoMontoya: Askeladd: "Let me teach you the real name my mother gave to me [[spoiler: Lucius Artorius Castus.]]"* NeverBringAKnifeToAFistFight: Because your knife will get stuck impaled in Thorkells hand and he beats the shit out of you with it.* NeverGetsDrunk: Father Willibald seems to swing between this and TheAlcoholic.* {{Ninja}}: [[FlashStep Flash-stepper]], uses dual daggers, [[FragileSpeedster combat style based on dodging and stealth]], usually sent on assassinations and scouting missions... it's very reasonable to call bullshit on Thorfinn being a pirate.** [[NinjaZombiePirateRobot A Ninja Viking Pirate]], though just Buddhist Viking if the latest chapters are any indication.* NotSoStoic: [[spoiler:Askeladd. Any mention regarding Wales or his mother is enough to cause a reaction. This becomes a problem as his default look is to have no reaction at all, thus allowing King Sweynn to deduce how to try to manipulate Askeladd.]]* OlderThanTheyLook: A more realistic example then most but none the less Thorkell does not look like he's in his fifties.** YoungerThanTheyLook: [[spoiler:Willibald, the old priest]]. Once he's shaved and has his beard cut, he actually looks like 23. Before that he looks almost three times his age.* OldRetainer: Ragnar* OneSteveLimit: Actually averted. Chapter 76 introduces a character named [[spoiler:Thorfinn]]. It seems Leif mistook him for the other one at first but adopted him anyway.* [[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou The Only One Allowed To Kill You]]: Thorfinn really wants to kill Askeladd.* PapaWolf: Thors* ProlongedPrologue: Chapter 54 - "End of Prologue"** The fun part, if you know the Literature/IcelandicSagas this should not come as a surprise.* ProudWarriorRaceGuy: Deconstructed, subverted and played straight: While they're all proud warriors, most are also sellswords, murderers, thieves and rapists, as well as honest merchants and farmers when necessary, just like the vikings really were.* PsychoForHire: Askeladd's band are all unscrupulous bastards willing to do anything for the right price, Thorkell and his band too, but his payment is a good battle. Thorfinn isn't a psycho, but he's got pretty loose morals.* PutOnABus: Thorgimm and Alti are put on a Viking Longship.* RageAgainstTheHeavens: [[spoiler: Canute is doing it all to spite god, by creating an Utopia on Earth.]]* RagsToRiches: Askeladd went from being a slave boy to a respected and feared mercenary captain using nothing but his wits, firmly establishing his status as a MagnificentBastard, at the age of fourteen.* RapePillageAndBurn: ...It's about ''[[HornyVikings Vikings]]''.** Though interestingly enough, all the main characters thusfar have been ''very''... not horny. Now, AxCrazy on the other hand...* RasputinianDeath: [[spoiler: After receiving injuries upon injuries upon injuries, Gardar gets stabbed in the chest right through to the back during his sleep and treats it like it was nothing. Hell, he doesn't even notices it. He wakes up and starts strangling Snake. When he finally dies from that injury, he just thinks he's tired and he's had about a good 20 minutes of chit-chat with Arneis. This is without accounting for his recent life as an abused slave.]]* RatedMForManly: Baddass action with no girl in sight, and ManlyTears in appropiate moments. This manga will make your chest grow hair on its own.* ReliableTraitor: Gunir. It's not really a spoiler, you'll spot him from a mile away.* RetiredBadass: Thors, he used to be called 'The Troll' and for good reason.* {{Revenge}}: It's not just his motivation, it's Thorfinn's entire reason for existence (as he points out himself).* RuleOfCool: The fight scenes; some have complained that all the awesome detracts from the history.** Who are these people? They need to be punched like a horse, now.* SadisticChoice: [[spoiler:Sveyn Forkbeard gives Askeladd the choice between staying Canute's retainer or saving his homeland Wales from a Viking invasion.]]** Askeladd [[TakeAThirdOption improvised]]* ScarsAreForever:** [[spoiler: The cut on the cheek that Thorfinn gave Canute in the incident detailed in AwesomeMomentOfCrowning above]] has turned into one Badass [[GoodScarsEvilScars scar]] years later.** [[spoiler:Thorfinn gets part of an ear sliced off and a large cut on his face as a slave (on the opposite side as Canute's).]]* ShoutOut: At one point there's a background character that looks suspiciously like Hagar the Horrible. Also Vicky, Ylfi and others from Vicky the Viking appear in two crowd shot. There are numerous others, mostly historical ones, littered through out.** The Frank Chieftain is named [[StarWars Jabbathe]], think about it for a moment.** The character Snake looks awfully familiar to [[Franchise/MetalGear a certain other "Snake"]], if not David Hayter himself.** In [[http://v2012.mangapark.com/manga/Vinland-Saga/c29/12 the bottom-right panel]], one of the vikings is performing the [[Manga/{{Kinnikuman}} Kinniku Buster]] on another.** Thorkell [[http://i18.mangareader.net/vinland-saga/42/vinland-saga-137775.jpg is a]] [[DragonballZ Super Saiyan]]!* ShownTheirWork: Yukimura has often noted the pains he took to be as accurate as possible, such as the journey he took to Iceland at the beginning of his work on the story, and how he used a variety of historical and apocryphal stories to base his characters on.** His research was effective. The weapons, armor, and outfits are accurate. You won't find [[YouFailHistoryForever vikings in horned hats duking it out with knights in plate armor]] here.* SilkHidingSteel: Thorfinn's mother, with elements of a MamaBear back when Thors was still an arrogant warrior.* SmugSnake: Floki all the way.* SonOfAWhore: Askeladd** [[BerserkButton Just don't say it to his face.]]* SpellMyNameWithAnS: A historical case with Canute or Knut. Also happens with Sweyn/Sven. But other than that the important names generally have a well-established romanization, surprisingly.* SpiritAdvisor: [[spoiler:Thors and Askeladd both serve as this to Thorfinn.]]** [[spoiler: Lord Sven to Canute.]]* SpiritedYoungLady: After the Farmland Saga ends we're introduced to Gudrid, a young woman who wanted to join Leif Erikson on his voyages ever since she was little. But Leif turned her away and she instead ended up [[StayInTheKitchen wedded to Leif's brother,]] even outliving him. When Leif meets her again, now with Thorfinn in tow, she begs to join him again - even though she's in an impending ArrangedMarriage for the second time. [[spoiler:According to the Norse sagas she marries Thorfinn.]]* StealthInsult: For the audience. Askeladd gives one of his former men (who was a turncoat in his prior battle) a gold bracelet and tells him to go home, raise sheep, take a wife and die in his bed. While this seems like a PetTheDog moment in a modern context, to a 'proper' norseman this would be a killing insult [[RewardedAsATraitorDeserves way worse than actually trying to kill him]]. The man is too broken by his experiences (and shameful over his betrayal) to argue.* StrangerInAFamiliarLand: [[spoiler:When Thorfinn finally returns home. He isn't even recognized by his own sister, and gained a younger brother and nephews while he was gone. And he's been gone so long, he doesn't even remember how old he is]].* TakeAThirdOption: "[[spoiler: Wales or Canute]]. Choose." And oh, but he [[OffWithHisHead did]].* TelephonePolearm: Thorkell sometimes fights using tree trunks.* ThanatosGambit: [[spoiler:Askeladd figures out the way to get Canute to power and prevent Wales from being attacked is to die. He declares he is the descendant of King Arthur, decapitates Sveyn, and then acts like he has gone mad and goes on a murderous rampage. He deliberately makes sure that Canute is the one to deliver the death blow, putting the final piece into place]]* TheBerserker: Bjorn is a real ''bĂ¤rsĂ¤rk'' and uses a mushroom to achieve this state.* TheDragon: Floki of the Jolmsviking serves as a Dragon of sorts to King Sweyn.* [[TheMountainsOfIllinois The Mountains of Denmark]]: In volume 1, the village that is described as being on the Jutland Peninsula actually looks a lot more like the fjords of Norway than the almost perfectly flat marshland of Denmark.* TheStoic: Thorfinn has two expressions, disinterest, and anger. The only exception is that when he gets badly hurt it shows. Still doesn't slow him down much.** This makes the look on his face when he realizes his attempt at evading a strike from Thorkell ended up launching him higher than the ''treetops'' even more hilarious.* ThoseTwoGuys: Thorgimm and his brother Atli.* TimeSkip: After the prologue* TookALevelInBadass: Several characters, most notably [[spoiler: [[strike: Prince]] King Canute, after his bodyguard and father-figure is killed; he learns from the [[NietzscheWannabe disaffected priest]] that what the bodyguard felt was not "love" but "preference," that God is basically a JerkAss, and comes to the revelation the only way humans will ever attain Paradise is to say [[CallingTheOldManOut "screw you" to the Almighty]] and make it on earth with our own hands.]] The level however, is more in Social Badass than in Combat Badass, but undeniably BadAss nonetheless.** After succeeding the throne, he also takes one in [[TookALevelInJerkass jerkass]].*** Of course, considering how the badass trope is deconstructed (see above), it shouldn't come as a surprise. Keep in mind badasses who aren't jerkasses are very rare in VinlandSaga. As it is, we don't meet any in the Prologue.* TricksterMentor: Askeladd likes to think he is more a mentor to Thorfinn then nemesis.* {{Tsundere}}: Ylfa certainly has a few Tsundere-ish tendencies* TurnCoat: Thorgrimm tries too, but Thorkell despises a coward.* ATwinkleInTheSky: A realistic example (relatively).* TheUriahGambit: Guess who pulled it off? If your answer is Askeladd, you're correct! [[spoiler: He uses it to kill Ragnar.]]** King Sweyn tried to do this to get rid of Canute. Talk about a COMPLETE backfire.* TykeBomb: Askeladd kept Thorfinn around because he thought the little boy had guts, after he killed his father. In the following years, Thorfinn becomes his special assassin to take out enemy leaders, and the reward is always a duel that gives Thorfinn a chance to avenge his father's death.* UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans: According to [[spoiler:Canute]], yes. Yes it does. Just don't let anyone die for ''his'' sake, his single life isn't worth it. [[spoiler: He eventually goes as far as to poison his very supportive brother to take over Denmark as well.]]* VictoryIsBoring: According to Thorkell.* VillainProtagonist: Thorfinn is nominally the main character, but so much of the story is spent following Askeladd that he pretty much qualifies as one.* VitriolicBestBuds: Snake and Old Man Sverker on Ketil's farm. More than half of any dialogue they have around each other is a barrage of insults. And they're both [[DeadpanSnarker pretty damn good]].* WarriorHeaven: Well it ''is'' about Vikings... Averted, however, in that the warriors who go there are now rotting corpses in an advanced state of decomposition who do nothing but continuously hack each other apart. Thorfinn visits it in a dream and gets advice from [[spoiler: Askeladd.]]* WHAMEpisode: Chapters 52, 53 and 54, wherein [[spoiler: Askeladd kills King Sweyn, and reveals he's the rightful heir to Britain, in the process saving ''both'' Wales and Canute, before being killed by '''''[[NonActionGuy Canute]]''''', leading to Thorfinn's HeroicBSOD. All this culminates in Canute [[AwesomeMomentOfCrowning taking the crown for himself.]]]] For reference, 54 is called [[{{HSQ}} "End of the Prologue"]].* WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove: Chapter 24. It's no wonder that most of these [[RapePillageAndBurn Vikings have no concept of the emotion]], but some of the others are interested enough to ask the priest for more info on it.* WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue: After Thorfinn and Einar leave the farm, brief remarks are made on how the survivors coped after the events of the [[FanNickname Farmland Saga.]]* WorldsStrongestMan: Thors, implicitly.* YouAreWhatYouHate: Askeladd, who hates Danes and vikings in general, but is one himself.* YouKilledMyFather: Essentially Thorfinn's motivation for everything he does. Despite being the main character, his desire for revenge makes him something below one-dimensional in personality, and it's literally all he can think of. He's repeatedly given [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech The Reason You Suck Speeches]] by Askeladd over it, and [[spoiler:when Canute gets to kill Askeladd instead of him]], he snaps and is reduced to a hollowed-out shell, completely burnt out.* YoungerThanTheyLook: Father Willibald is only in his twenties, but he looks like an old man. It's his shaggy beard and monk's tonsure that probably does it.----